As far as computing technology is concerned, the late 2010s might as well be dubbed the age of the ultrabook. These super-sleek laptops have solidified themselves in the highly competitive PC landscape, even managing to edge out the MacBook Air in popularity as computer hardware has gotten increasingly smaller, slimmer, and lighter. Today, you’ve got a myriad of featherweight laptops to choose from, but the best of the bunch might be the new Asus ZenBook 13, and now’s your last chance to score a deal on one for Cyber Monday. Read on to find out what we love about this little laptop and how you can save.
Asus has established itself as an icon in the world of Windows PCs (and especially laptops) and is a name that most computer geeks are well familiar with. The brand built its name on its budget-friendly workhorses, but this maker now offers some of the best midrange and even high-end computers on the market today. Its Asus ZenBook 13 is a contender for our favorite 13-inch ultrabook of 2019 – and given the fierce competition in this huge and growing laptop category, that’s no small feat.
The Asus ZenBook 13 earned glowing praise in our hands-on review and was also named one of the best laptops in our 13-inch ultrabook roundup, accolades which are largely owed to its superb price-to-performance ratio. Laptops in this category can get very expensive very quickly, with most coming in at over a grand and many sailing well north of $1,500. The ZenBook 13 delivers superb performance despite its size, and in contrast to many similar ultrabooks, it does it all for well under $1,000.
That performance is due to the fact that Asus loaded up the ZenBook 13 with some pretty great hardware under the hood. The laptop runs on an Intel Core i5-8265U CPU, unlike many compact laptops that feature more anemic processors (or even worse, those mobile CPUs that just aren’t built for more demanding jobs like streaming or multi-tasking). This i5 CPU belongs to Intel’s eighth-generation “Whiskey Lake” family of processors released in 2018 and features four cores, a 6MB cache, and a base clock speed of 1.6 GHz plus a max clock speed of 3.9 GHz with Intel Turbo Boost technology.
Along with this highly capable Intel Core i5 processor, the Asus ZenBook 13 is loaded with 8GB of DDR3 RAM – a respectable amount of memory for juggling multiple tasks at once if you’re the type who’s always got several programs open – and an Intel UHD integrated graphics card that will readily support light gaming (although it goes without saying that if you want to play modern titles at high settings, you’ll want to look at a dedicated gaming laptop). For storage, you’ve got a generously sized 512GB solid state drive, which is not only larger than most laptop SSDs but is also much faster than traditional hard drives.
In other words, the ZenBook has plenty of muscle for work, entertainment, and all-around everyday use. Of course, if you’re specifically in the market for an ultrabook like the Asus ZenBook 13, it’s probably because you want something that doesn’t just perform well but is also compact, pencil-thin, and super-light. In this department, too, the ZenBook delivers: At 0.5 inches thin and weighing 2.5 pounds, this laptop is a true ultrabook in every sense. It also measures just over 12 inches across, so whether you’re trotting from class to class on campus or commuting to the office, its size and weight make it just about perfect for carrying around.
The Asus ZenBook 13 boasts a gorgeous 1080p display as well, which was another thing our review team loved about this ultrabook’s design. This Full HD screen sits at 13.3 inches, hitting that “Goldilocks” sweet spot in size that gives you enough real estate for work and entertainment without feeling cramped, while also being small enough to keep the ZenBook ultra-portable. Enhancing its portability even further is the laptop’s excellent all-day battery life that provides you with plenty of juice for a full day’s worth of work or play without you needing to remain married to an outlet.
Black Friday deals have come and gone, but if you missed a deal on something you’ve been eyeballing, then Cyber Monday sales (not to mention all of Cyber Week) still offer shoppers plenty of opportunities to save big on high-ticket items like laptop computers. Amazon naturally has plenty of Cyber Monday offers of its own going on right now, including a juicy discount on the Asus ZenBook 13 The ZenBook is already a great value at its usual sub-$800 price, but this Cyber Monday deal makes this high-value ultrabook even more attractive, and it might be your last chance before Christmas sales to score a laptop of this caliber at a discount.
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